1985 Mercedes Benz W123 230E

Thanks mate. The car will look even better once I've had the chance to give it a proper wash and polish.

Got any pics of your 190E?

love ur 123 hope mine is that clean when I get started on her in the next few months

Update on the MR2:

I dismantled the scuttle panel to gain access to the wiper mechanism, which is needed to unbolt the wiper motor from the mechanism.



With the wiper motor removed, it became obvious the replacement wasn't quite right. The plug was different. The original wiper motor is the one with the cables and plug hanging loose. The "22" and "23" lettering also gave the game away!



Fortunately, I discovered that the cause of the problem was not a defective wiper motor but an almost seized wiper mechanism. I removed the entire mechanism.



The pivot for the nearside wiper was almost completely seized.



The repair involved securing the mechanism in a vice, clipping the mechanism together to prevent it from dangling about and getting in the way (I used green cable ties for this), spraying silicone fluid into the pivot joints (top and bottom) and turning the pivot both ways until it became free.



Re-assembly was reverse of the dismantling procedure. Start to finish the job took approx 2 hours, which included time messing about and setting the wiper position. Job done, the wipers work a treat.

Anyone need a spare Revision 1/2 wiper motor? I've got one going cheap!

The brakes on the MR2 felt sticky. I took it for a short drive, returned home and jacked up the front end. The offside wheel spun freely but the nearside wheel caliper was very sticky.

With the wheel removed, you can see the pretty new discs, fitted by the previous owner.



With the pads removed, you can see the two pot caliper.



One of the pistons was stiff as was one of the sliding bolts. I coated the moving parts liberally with copper grease.



I went for a drive to see what effect my work had on the brakes. I'm pleased to report that the problem has been solved, at least for now.

I gave the Merc a wash this afternoon. The rear arches are starting to go (rust blisters forming under the paint). I'm gonna have to spend some more money on the bodywork this summer.

I wanted some bass in my W123. I was gifted a nice 12" JBL sub and a Sony amp to go with it. Thank you Ed (aka 10mpg). Here's the results.

As the amp was an unknown quantity, I didn't want to spend all day wiring it up only to find out there's a problem with it. Once I wired up the amp directly to the battery the control light came on. So far so good.



Then I wired up the sub (with the cable running down the outside of the car) and placed it in the boot to see how it sounds.



Both the amp and sub seemed to work ok.

The sub enclosure needed a good clean.



And a coat of matt black spray.



The installation took about 5 hours, but that was only because I was taking my time and wanted to do the job only once. I had to extend the power cable from the battery (under the bonnet) to the boot, via the interior. The remote and RCA leads took the same route. I managed to find existing openings to pass cables through the bulkheads, thus no need to drill holes in the old boy.

Job done. Once tested and set up, the sound quality was very impressive.



The original boot carpet (in mint condition) is in the loft. As I use the car daily and often carry my surveying gear in the boot, I have lined the boot with an old carpet.

I also removed the pod speakers from the rear shelf. I now have a stock looking set up, which sounds pretty damn good. Tracks with a beat sound deep and bassy whilst ordinary music just sounds nicer. The sub gives the sound a new dimension. Result.

The MR2's wheels were letting the car down. They weren't kerbed but all four had blisters and scabs where the lacquer and paint finish had failed. I had to take action.

I spent almost £50 on materials.



I wanted to finish the wheels in a darker shade of silver, almost grey, rather than the original light silver colour.

I started by taking all four wheels off the car.



Weather conditions weren't great! I did the rubbing down outside. Despite the obvious snow, it was a lovely day and it was a pleasure to tinker outside in my garden.



Inside my workshop I set up a wheel drying area.



All four wheels rubbed down. The blistered areas were rubbed down with 120 grade sandpaper whilst all areas to be painted were prepared with 800 grade wet and dry paper.



I taped up the wheel rims and covered the tyres with an old copy of The Sun.



And here are the wheels after the first coat of paint.



Since 2pm yesterday afternoon the wheels have had 6 coats of paint and 1 coat of lacquer. By 7pm this evening I should hopefully have them finished, once I've applied two further coats of lacquer. I propose to leave the wheels in the workshop overnight to allow the lacquer to dry properly.

In between coats, I've kept myself busy painting the calipers orange.





All being well I'll re-fit the wheels after work tomorrow evening.

Watch this space to see how the wheels turned out!

All done!



WIN!

Check out my photos a few pages back and you'll see that I've painted the inside of the wheel arches and underside of the arch lips a couple of years ago. Sadly, blisters have appeared and some major TLC is required.

If you're in West London, perhaps see you down the Ace Cafe one evening?

Were you offering a set of chrome wire wheels for sale on the Merc forum?

I've seen your car. Very nice.